How Stitching Helped Me Connect and Feel Supported

 

Hello to you!

I hope that your week has been good and that you got plenty of stitching time into your busy week? 

Over here in France everyday has a corresponding Saint's day and todays saint day is Saint Narcissus. I found this funny, fairly ionic and a great coincidence as today I wanted to talk about Cross Stitch and Connection, and tell you how it helped me connect to my inner self and my grandmother!

I'll also announce the winner for the contest that I launched last week to guess the item of clothing that inspired my choice of colours for the November pack in the monthly Thread Subscription..it may be you so please read on!

How I started Stitching 

Last week on IG and my FB page I shared a question that I asked to all the stitchers that wanted to answer, How did you start Stitching in the First Place? I had a great response as nearly 13K people saw my post and I got around 300 replies! Your stories were all amazing and some were very moving as well. They all helped me realise how important stitching is as a hobby but also as a presence for so many of us.

It also got me thinking about why I started stitching again myself when I did and revealed a major aha to me that I had never even realised.. but I'll get back to that later in this article

From when I was a baby until teen years and adulthood every summer (8 weeks) were spent in Perpignan at my maternal grandmother's (seamstress) house in the south of France. What that meant for me as a child was the heat, the sea, the huge and tasty tomatoes and ... busy afternoon handicrafts to keep us occupied during the siesta hour.

Although at the time it seemed ultra boring our grandma taught me canvas embroidery, knitting and worse of all crochet ... for me it was waste of time - I could rather be in the sea and having fun on the beach building sandcastles or playing in our rubber dinghy .. but we had no choice and were taught how to do tapestry. When I look back I realise how lucky we were to learn these skills so young and but we got to spend precious time with her and for that there was no price.

My French Grandma Clotilde

Stitching as an Adult

Zoom forward to 1994 when I was working in Dijon as an english teacher for adults in the town centre. It was my first ever job abroad and in a town that I didn't know very well. I did have some close family friends nearby that was great but apart from that I was on my own.

My tiny flat was a short walk from the school and I had to go past a haberdashery, located next door to the school. I often stopped to look in the window at the pretty window decorations and all the lovely cross stitch kits. Then one day I went in.

I bought a mini DMC Cross Stitch kit ... two teddy bears one pink and one blue..I quickly went home to stitch it .. the crosses went in all directions, it was ugly but I loved it ..and the sensations of the needle came back to me and memories of my grandmother too ...what a joy it was and I felt great every time I stitched .I was hooked.

Loved them so much I kept them!

Why does this resonate only now?

After reading your replies to my question, I realised how many of you started stitching to stay occupied or from feeling bored, and often taught by a family member like me. Some of you started to stitch after having lost a family member and it was a way of occupying your mind and to help you grieve softly and in familiar comfortable surroundings.

I started thinking about my story and realised it was the same thing for me. I felt alone and bored once my working day was done and that little cross stitch kit brought me great support, joy and well being... although I didn't know it at the time!

It also made a connection between my grandma and I as it had been her who had taught me 20 years before. When I stitched I felt connected to her and felt better. She passed away whilst I was working there, which now I think about it is quite symbolic too...

How about you what is your story? I would love to know how cross stitch and embroidery have helped you connect to your inner self, to someone who has died or to new friends and acquaintances.. or any other x stitch stories!

Contest Winner 

Last weeks contest to win one of the threads from the November thread pack received some very interesting answers and only 2 people got the right one! The piece of clothing that has inspired the November pack is a scarf! I can't tell you more than that for the moment to keep the surprise for the subscribers! I'll share more about the November pack later in the month!

And so the winner is Erika Siuda! Congratulations to you!

The orders for the November pack of threads will be taken up until midnight tonight CET, so if you would like to subscribe please follow this link http://bit.ly/MonthlyThreadsSubscription

I hope you enjoyed reading a bit about how I started to stitch again and the reasons why I treasure stitching and colour even more today? I look forward to reading your stories too and hope this next week brings you much joy and happiness.

Keep Safe and well and above all KEEP STITCHING!

Happy Stitching!

Melanie

xxxxxx